Final Recommendations Membership Agenda/Minutes
Work Group Charter
Current Situation
- Many Studies report that adults with mental illness want to be employed and measures of satisfaction indicate this area to be the least “satisfactory” to survey respondents
- Nationally, employment rates for adults within the mental health system is 21% (NOMS 2005)
- In Missouri, 17% of adults within the mental health system are employed (NOMS 2005)
- Nationally, 25% of persons within the Developmental Disability System are employed (2004)
- In Missouri, 12% of persons within the Developmental Disability System are employed (2001)
- People with mental disabilities (DD & MH) have the highest rate of poverty than any other disability group (Houtenville, 2006)
- The majority of persons with mental disabilities in individual employment work less than 20 hours per week.
- People with mental illness often fear working more hours for fear of losing medical benefits.
- Fidelity Supported Employment is not widely available in MO
- In FY 2006, Missouri ADA reports 31.4% (13,631) were employed at admission(29,804 unemployed) and 33.5% (10,439) were employed at discharge (20,753 unemployed).
- In FY2007, the number of adult consumers in ADA substance abuse treatment programs who were employed increased by 10.5% between admission and discharge.
Desired Outcomes
- Missouri shall promote the financial independence and economic contribution of persons with mental health needs/disabilities by developing employment and career opportunities in integrated community settings. Disparities in the employment status of people with disabilities vs the broader workforce will be eliminated.
- Missouri will develop an accessible, flexible method of delivering benefits planning assistance to enable consumers to work to their highest potential
- DMH and its providers will employ people with mental illness, developmental disabilities and substance abuse issues at all levels within their organizations.
- Implementation of a workforce development initiative, focusing on the dangers of unemployment and the role of employment in recovery, resilience and self-determination.
- All DMH consumers will have employment addressed with their mental health treatment or DD service plan.
- DMH will commit to a specified achievement of employment success, based on baseline data.
- DMH will partner with other employment-focused state agencies to promote job development, job training and job placement.
Undesirable Outcomes
- Persons with mental health needs/disabilities remain unemployed, living in poverty and socially isolated.
- DMH does not require providers to aggressively address consumer unemployment.
Scope
- Address the strategies identified in the Transformation Plan, which are based on recommendations from the Employment Subgroup of the Disparities are Eliminated Workgroup.
- Identify policy, financing and structural changes to recommend to TWG.
- Develop a project management schedule that includes:
- Specific Actions Steps;
- Lead for each of the Action Steps; and
- Target Dates for initiation of each Action Step
- Mechanism for provision of routine progress reports for each of the Action Steps.
Resources
- Recommendations of the Employment Subgroup of the Disparities are Eliminated Workgroup.
- Final report of the Disparities Workgroup.
- Powerpoint presentation by Joe Marrone, Institute for Community Inclusion, UMASS Boston
- Supported Employment Grant
May 19, 2008
